Web BLOG Development

Web 2.0

The availability of user-friendly content creation and communication tools on the Internet has brought about a transformation of the Web from Web 1.0, a read-only Web to Web 2.0, a read-write Web. In the past Web 1.0 world, only technically savvy people and companies had the necessary expertise to provide content on the Web. Essentially, content was created by a few people or companies but may be viewed by many. The information provided was generally static and mainly an outcome of the digitalization of existing knowledge.

Today, in the Web 2.0 world, anyone who wishes to create and share content can do so easily without needing much technical expertise. People are using the Web to have conversations with one another more and more. People are finding new ways of collaborating with each other on the Web. Knowledge on the Web is no longer under the control of a few people and companies. There is mass participation.

Web 2.0 technologies can be defined as Web-based services or products that allow its users to share digital resources with one another, to engage each other in conversation and to collaborate with one another so that they can collectively construct knowledge. The widespread use of Web 2.0 technologies will encourage two significant shifts in usage patterns for both lecturers and students i.e. from personal application software to increasingly Web-based applications and from personal computing to increasingly social computing.

The shift in paradigm for Web 2.0 learning is that it allows the users to learn by harnessing collective intelligence of other users connected to the Web through social interactions (Cornu, 2007). With a shift in pedagogy towards participatory learning to leverage the Web 2.0 technologies, there should also be a corresponding shift in assessment towards a social constructivist approach. There would be a need to move away from an assessment process where lecturers would be involved in designing multiple-choice items and essay questions, proctoring exams and grading the answers to one that would be based on a participatory online assessment by both students and lecturers that provide a balance between product and process.

However, the field of alternative assessment especially that involving using Web 2.0 technologies is still relatively new. Unlike the participatory learning approach based on social constructivism (c.f. Hung, 2001; Swan, 2005), which has a strong theoretical foundation even before the emergence of Web 2.0, there will be a need for ODL researchers to invest in further research on alternative assessments in distance learning using Web 2.0 technologies

HYLITE: Web 2.0 (http://pjjpgsd.seamolec.org/)

HYLITE web is designed by the "social networking" paradigm of Web 2.0. The web is succeeded to be "host" of databases and communication among the students, lecturers, and the task Force as the Facilitators.

All of the features on the web could be accessed, except for the modules/contents only for the HYLITE coordinator on each Universities (one person) with the ID and Pasowrd provided by the Task Force. Why? Because on the contents link there are test databases that use for examination.

Although have one or two limitation on the web utilization, communication by FAQ is going very well, such as: asking for the modules, schedule, and make a report. The Stakeholder (Directorate General of Higher Education) also can do a monitor and see the activities on the web.

The HYLITE web, actually, is no too much "rich of tools" but enough as the starting for the big project like HYLITE who involved 23 Universities as the Consortium and 100 students per Semester. Some useful tools provide on the HYLITE Web, such as:

1. Update information/news/announcement.

2. Introduction to HYLITE program are:

• About HYLITE
• How Does HYLITE Program Work
• What the Instrument of HYLITE Program

3. Readings:

• The Guidelines (Management, Student, Tutorial, Practicum)
• References of Distance Learning (Independent Study Skills, Learning Skill, Distance Learning, Basic Skill on ICT)
• Curriculum
• Face-to-Face Tutorial (sample: English Tutorial)
• Online Tutorial (sample: English Online Tutorial)
• Test (sample: English Test Formative)
• Modules (sample: Unit-1)
• Syllabus (sample: English Syllabus)